Force Science News

Force Science pinpoints human dynamics of police-on-police shootings

Part 2 of a 2-part series

A Governor’s Task Force in New York recently issued a 147-page report on police-on-police shootings in which it emphasizes that “unconscious race bias” may be a compelling factor when out-of-uniform officers, working plainclothes or taking some law enforcement action off-duty, are mistaken for life-threatening criminals and are shot dead by other cops. [Click here to read PART 1 of this special report highlighting the report’s findings.]

During 6 months of nationwide research, the task force asked Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute, for his perspective on these tragedies. In a special 7-page position paper, attached as an appendix to the group’s report, Lewinski argues that human dynamics wholly apart from race are, in fact, most likely to shape these unfortunate incidents.

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Editor’s note: A big congratulations to the 45 newly minted Force Science Analysts who received their certification documents on June 11 from the most recent Force Science Certification Course. This impressive group of the best and brightest in law enforcement represented 32 agencies from 15 states and 3 countries. Well done!

The ultimate tragedy: What’s the truth about police-on-police shootings?

Part 1 of a 2-part series

The first comprehensive nationwide survey of mistaken-identity, “friendly fire” fatalities in law enforcement has been completed by a governor’s task force in New York, unearthing a wealth of informative and useful data but raising a controversial specter that “unconscious racial biases” against minority officers may influence some of these tragedies.

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Editor’s note: For those who didn’t get a chance to read the feature articles on Force Science that appeared recently in the Police Magazine and Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement as well as the Discovery Channel feature on the recent Force Science research project focused on the dangers posed by prone subjects, CLICK HERE or visit: www.forcescience.org/featured.html to see them. You’ll also find a fascinating article co-authored by three Force Science staffers that recently appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

I. Coming up: Does Race Really Influence Cop-on-Cop Shootings? 
The Force Science Perspective

A Governor’s Task Force in New York, formed to examine police-on-police shootings nationwide, recently issued an extensive report that claims “intrinsic” racial bias may be involved when out-of-uniform black officers are mistaken for criminals and shot dead by their colleagues.

But a Force Science Position Paper on the subject, which is attached as an appendix to the Task Force study, reaches a much different conclusion. More important than any racial considerations in these tragic events, says the Force Science analysis, are likely to be certain biological and physiological laws of human performance.

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